Kurt Palandech to start at quarterback for UNLV against Wyoming

UNLV is hoping its third starting quarterback is the charm.

Kurt Palandech will become the third quarterback to start for the Rebels (3-6, 2-3 Mountain West) this season when he leads them against Wyoming (7-2, 5-0) at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium.

Palandech, who lost an offseason competition for the starting job with fellow junior Johnny Stanton, replaced ineffective starter Dalton Sneed in UNLV’s 30-24 loss Oct. 29 at San Jose State. He almost helped the Rebels erase a 30-10 second-half deficit, throwing for a touchdown and running for one before throwing an interception from the Spartans’ 44 in the final minute.

“He just has a little bit better grasp of the offense,” UNLV coach Tony Sanchez said. “Part of that comes with maturity and experience. He’s started games before and had success before.

“He’s a lot calmer in those situations, especially when things break down.”

The fleet-footed Palandech started three games last season in place of oft-injured Blake Decker and came off the bench to help lead UNLV to a win over UNR. Sneed, a redshirt freshman who was pulled at San Jose State after starting 2-for-9 for 24 yards, led the Rebels to wins over Fresno State and Hawaii, but struggled mightily in losses to San Diego State and Colorado State.

“Dalton’s going to be a heck of a player. He’s just young,” Sanchez said. “He was at his best when things broke down. We have to do a better job of getting away from the breakdowns and making sure we’re running our offense smoothly and we’re not just kind of ad-libbing out there. And I think Kurt gives us the best chance to do that.”

Palandech is 10-for-23 for 161 yards, one touchdown and one interception this season and has run for 40 yards and a score. He completed 49.3 percent of his passes (75 of 152) for 794 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions last season and ran for 293 yards and four scores.

WING AND A TEAR

Palandech tore his biceps and rotator cuff late in fall camp, causing him to fall to third on the depth chart before Stanton suffered a torn knee ligament during a Sept. 24 loss to Idaho. Sanchez said Palandech’s arm strength has since returned.

“That’s healed enough to where he’s got his zip back on the ball,” he said. “His balls aren’t floating anymore. He looks a lot better.”

Stanton, listed as the No. 3 quarterback, is available to play, but he needs knee surgery after the season and his mobility will be limited the rest of the way.

“He can go, but he won’t be the same guy that was rushing for 150 yards,” Sanchez said. “He doesn’t really have that ability right now.”

NO DOUBTING THOMAS

The bye week gave Rebels leading rusher Lexington Thomas enough time to recover from the high ankle sprain that knocked him out of the San Jose State game in the first half. Thomas, a sophomore who has rushed for 632 yards and eight touchdowns this season, practiced Tuesday and is expected to start at running back against Wyoming.

TOUGH HOUGH

The bye week also gave sophomore nickelback Tim Hough enough time to recover from a concussion suffered against San Jose State. Hough practiced Tuesday but was restricted from contact. Sanchez said Hough will be cleared for contact Wednesday and is expected to start Saturday.

“He hasn’t had any symptoms since the concussion protocol started on the Sunday before the bye week,” Sanchez said. “So’s he’s good to go.”

CORNHUSKER CONNECTIONS

Wyoming coach Craig Bohl was teammates at Nebraska in the 1970s with UNLV offensive coordinator Barney Cotton and UNLV defensive line coach Tony Samuel. Bohl also was the Cornhuskers’ defensive coordinator and linebackers coach when Rebels offensive line coach John Garrison played for them from 1999 to 2002.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.